Method and apparatus for concentrating liquids



Feb. 21, 1933. D Twlss E1- AL 1,898,604

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONCENTRATING LIQUIDS Filed Nov. 2, 192s 4 sheets-sheet 1 A'ITO EY Feb. 21, 1933. D. F. Twlss r-:T Al.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONCENTRATING LIQUIDS Filed Noyv. 2. 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 P@ 2V.. EY

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Feb. 21, 1933. D. F. Twlss ET AL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONCENTRATING LIQUIDS Filed Nov. 2,v 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Feb. 21, 1933. D, F. rwlss ET A1. y

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONCENTRATING LIQUIDS 4 Sheets-Sheell 4 Filed Nov. 2, 1928 .l www m mik Nn R mw m W M a M. a m

Patented Feb. 21, 1933 UNITED s'raxiiz's PATENT oFF-ICE DOUGLAS FRANK TWISS AND EDWARD ARTHUR MURPHY, FORT DUNLOP, ERDING- `dispersione-more particularly such liquidsas those which offer difficulties when under- TON, BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, .ASSIGNORS TO DUNLOP RUBBERLCOIVIPANY, LIMITED,

OF BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, A BRITISH CORPORATION METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONCENTRATING LIQUIDS Application filed November 2, 1928, Serial No. 316,722, and in Great' Britain November 3,;1927.

This invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for the concentration or compounding of liquids such as aqueous going the processes of concentration or coinpounding; such difficulties for example as deleterious skinformation, frothing or sedi? mentation.

Thus, for example, the liquids may bey fillers, reinforcing agents, accelerators, coloring matters, preservatives, softenersf or anti-agers. A

The liquidsor materials will hereinafter be referred to as the liquid but this term v is not to be taken as having perse any-'pai'- ticular significance-for instance, itshould be understood that the said liquidsmay already, that is before being subjected to the processes of our invention, have been subjected to a partial evaporation.l

The concentration or evaporation is conveniently carried out concurrently with compounding in such a way that the dispersion of the compounding ingredients is facilitated lto van extreme degree-this being an important feature of our invention, namely that iten ables compounding ingredients tol be uniformly distributed throughout the liquid while the saine is undergoing concentrationwithout premature coagulation, thereby to produce a smooth concentrate, conveniently of cream-like consistency, containing compounding ingredients uniformly distributed throughout its mass.

. Thus when we apply this concentrate to the coating of fabric or to the production of articles by the deposition of said concentrate onto suitable formers the film or layer is uniform and does not contain patches containing more or lesscompounding ingredients than the rest of the deposition. Again a very desirable uniformity of large bers of products is possible-the bulk concentrate from which they are produced being from first to last always in substantially the same condition. f Y Y According to one phase Vof this invention concentration or eVaporationzand/or com-y pounding or mixing aliquid of the kindh'ereinbefore specified is effected by a, method,

and means for carrying the same into effect,

which includes the step of submitting at least one surface of a vessel which, contains said liquid to a rocking, oscillating or other analogous motion, by submitting a surface of such vessel to motion without rotation of the vessel on its own axis, by submitting'sucli surface or surfaces to a rocking, oscillating or other analogous motion without rotation of the vessel on its own axis, or in'general byl f continually altering the angular relationship between the substantially plane surface of theV Y liquid and the walls ofthe container.

More` specifically for the purpose of concentration the invention consists in apply`.` 75 'f ing such armotion successively to cover and uncover such surface or surfaces by the bulk of the liquid, thereby to spread alayer or film of said liquid upon said surface, which layer or film is obviously susceptible of a comparatively rapid partial evaporation.'

In passing, it may be said that the pre'- ferred effect we produce is in very general terms somewhat similar tothat produced by v a personwho, holding tightly in his hand an ordinary glass tumbler containing av small quantity of liquid, revolves said 'tumbler bodily ina small orbit.V The tumbler being stationary on its own axis, the effect pros, duced will be a continuous and successivev alteration of the relationship ofthe liquid surfv face and the tumbler walls.

The invention further consists submiti ting such an exposed surface or film to the action of a dehydrating agent say a'current of air or other gas, in maintaining the ves sel under a pressure less than atmospheric,

in heating lthe liquid while undergoing treatment, in subsequently vcooling said liquid, and in various other featuresl which '100.

will become hereinafter apparent. 7

Arising out of and being more or less associated with these provisions and features of this phase of our invention another phase of it becomes apparent, namely that according to which we are enabled to produce a concentrate of the' kind specified by submitting the liquid at once to a partial evaporation and a form of gentle continuous dispersive agitation, the method and means according to the first phase, of our invention being par-A ticularly suited to meet the requirements embodied in this second phase of oursaid invention-the motion relative between the vessel and the` liquid being such as effectively to produce the gentle continuous dispersive agitation required. l

'It may lbe lsaid in passing 'that various types of apparatus have before been proposed for thezconcentration or coagulation of rub- Y iber latex and the like dispersions all of Which, however, involve the use offa spreading surface or surfaces subject to rotation. For example a horizontal rotating drum or cylinder on the inner or outer surface of which a :lnr'of the' dispersion is subjected continu-- {.allits'aspects far removed from such schemes as these." y

In order that Iour invention may be more easily Vunderstood and readily carried into eect the same will now be described more fuglly in relation to one form of apparatus for carrying out the said invention.

In `the accompanying drawings#- Fig. 1 is a side view in cross-section of the preferred formV of apparatus according to this invention; f j

Fig. 2 is adetail thereof'looking from the right of Fig. l; j' 1 Fig. 3 is a side view more or less diagrammatic and not necessarily to scale illustrating the vheating and'cooling and the air or like flow l provision V Fig. 4 is a back view also more or less diagrammatic rviewed from the left of Fig. 3 kshowing the vesseltilted as for emptying and illustrating the circulation of the heating and cooling medium;

Fig. 5 isa general perspective view of the said preferred form of apparatus;

Y Fig. 6 is, a diagram illustrating the motion eifected in the said preferred apparatus;

Figs. 7,y 8 and 9 are-diagrams illustrating various alternative ways of producing an analogous effect. A

In the preferred form of' apparatus illus-i r axis 15 of the vessel bearings 13-13'111l trated in Figures 1 to 6 inclusive the same comprises a vessel or container disposed in such a way as to be universally oscillatablc about a point 2-said point being preferably positioned within the confines of the vessel, thereby to obviate any ill effects arising from any undesirable degree of centrifugal force.

Said universal oscillation is effected in theA preferredform by'disposing the axis 3 of the vessel at an angle to the vertical axis 4 and revolving the canted axis?) together with the vessel 1 bodily about the said vertical axis 4 upon the point 2.

- In the preferred form Vthis bodily revolution is effected by means comprising a drivf ingbracke't which as shown in drawingsmay be in the form of a table 5 rotatable on the axis 4 and formed at its edge to engage the free end of an inclined rod or shaft 6 attached to the vessel.

Probably the motion effected in this preferred kform of our lapparatus is most apparent from diagram Figure 6. Half a revoklution of the table 5 takes the side-a of the vessel fromthe position shown in full lines to that shown in dotted lines-the other half revolution takes said side a down again through thereverse of thesame path-said side a nevercrossing the axis 4. It being appreciated thatv the side a shown full is preciselygthe same side. of the vessel as the side a shown dotted, it will be-apparent that, while the vessel as a whole oscillates bodily on the point 2, Vits surfaces have `local oscillation between said positions shown in full lines and in dotted lines. Referring again to Figure 1, in the arrangement shown'therein said shaft 6 is rigid with the vessel and the engagement of said shaft'and said table allows of relative move` ment between said shaft and table.

A convenient construction, as shown is that said shaft passes freely between a pair of brackets 7 on said table between which said brackets said rod is anchored by a pin 8 passing between said brackets as shown in Figures -1 and 2.- Antifriction means such as a bearingfbush 9 upon the end of the shaft may be provided if desired between said shaft and said brackets. Y

In the preferred form of apparatus according tothis invention the bodily revolution of said shaft -Gabout the axis 4 is accommodated so as to eifect the desired universal oscillation of the vessel about the point 2 with the aid of a gimbal or universal joint structure. v

As shown in the drawings such structure conveniently comprises van annular yoke 10 pivotally mounted at l1 and 11a in bearing" standards 12 to which said yoke the vessel l is pivotally mounted at 13 and 13kt, the axis 14 of the yoke bearings lle-11a and the intersecting at the point 2.` l

The'vessel tends to oscillate simply on these two said axes 14 and'l and the resultantsaid-axes crossing as they doi-is the combination or universal oscillation referred to of the vessel about the common point 2.

The mounting of the vessel 1 in the yoke conveniently comprisesatransverse bearing member 16 rigid with the base of the vessel and having outwardly extending arms 10, 16a and 165 between. the same and the vessel bearing 13-13a in the yoke 10.

.Y It will be seen that this arrangement which includes a gimbal or like ,scheme is particularly adapted for the provision of 15 the centre of oscillationor point 2 within the confines of the vessel as already said.

Provision is made for heating the liquid during its treatment in the vessel, the same convenientlycomprising a jacket surrounding the vessel for the circulation of a heat- 251through-which the heating'medium circushells of the vessel and the ing medium.

As shown in the drawings said jacket comprises a shell 17 of corresponding shape to the vessel arranged to leave a space 13 lates.

In the preferred design said medium circa` lates via certain of the bearings which combine for the support of the vessel-said ine- ?dium conveniently circulating as follows in the direction of the arrows in Figure 4;- from and through the yoke bearing 11 to the vessel bearing 13, through said bearing and through the vessel to the opposite vessel bear- -ing 13a, through said bearing and from thence to the other yoke bearing 11a and away.

As shown in the drawings, conveniently the connection between the bearings l1 and 13 and the bearings 13a and 11a is via channels 18 and 18a formed in the material of the yoke 10, while the connection from the vessel bearing V13 to the vessel is via a channel 19V in the bearing arm 16a, and the connection from the vessel to the bearing' 13a is by fixed pipes 2O communicating with an orifice or channel 21 in the other bearing arm 16?).

The communication between the channel` 19 and the vessel is conveniently via an annular channel 22 formed in the transverse member 16 which channel 22 connects with the space 18 in the jacket by orifices 23 formed.

provision consists in circulating through the system already described for heating, .a cool'- ing fluid such as cold water.

Obviously the system between the outlet yoke bearing 11a back to the inlet yoke bearing 11 may be of'any convenient kindfpreferably however it is such that the heat-` ing fluid circulates througha closed system by a pump, for economy in,heat,'while the cold iiuid circulates direct from the mains.

As shown particularly inv Figures 3 and 4, cold water flows into the system-through pipe 25 directly from the mains. through cock 26 and-up pipe 27 into vessel at bearing 11. N ext, through the vessel and then out at bearing 11a through pipe2` 8 to cock 29 and pipe 30 to drain. l f

Thence Water in tank 31 is supplied throughpipe 32 and overflows to drain through pipe v33. Said tank is heated by'a steamV coil y34; fed

through 35provision being preferably in-A corporated for the regulation of the `temperature. Y

Hot water flows into the system from they tank 31 through pipe 36 to the pump 37 which circulates it. From' said pump itis forced.

uppipe 38through cock 26y and pipe 27 into Vessel. ThroughV vessel out at bearing 11a through pipe 28, cock 29 and pipe 39 back to tank 31.

For coldwater'to circulate; the cock-26V opens vessel feed pipe .27y to cold Water supply pipe 25 and closesY hot water supply pipe 23; the. Cock 29 opens 'vessel drain pipe 28 to cold water drainfpipe 30 and closes said pipe 28 to hotv waterv tanki return pipe l? or hot water to circulate; the cock 26 closes cold water supply pipe l25 and `opens hot waterV supply pipe 38to'vessel feed pipe 27 cock 29 closes cold water-drain pipe30.

and opens vessel drain pipe 28 to hot v'water tank ret-urn pipe 39. The cocks 26 and 29 are commonly actuated by a handle 4:0.V

Y A feature of our invention is that the heating medium may operate more directly upon the bulk of the liquid than upona film thereof exposed on the surfacesof the vessel-said' lic film being that produced by the successivev covering and uncovering of said surface herep inbe'fore referred to andthat tending to be produced permanently above the surface of the bulk liquids as the saine reduces in bulk by concentration. Y v l l In this way. overheating of such film with deleterious effects such as coagulation or complete drying are avoided-,and again the cooler surfaces may serve to effect a partial condensation tending to wash the exposedsurfaces and to return the film'cleanly to the bulk of the dispersion-` y Conveniently the heating medium is ay liquid such as water and it will be apparent that upon'oscillation of the container the position of the heating medium in the space 18 Will adjust itself automatically to the pol tion of these things.

sition `of the liquid-thus the heat acts more ering and uncovering` aforesaid. 'Further the supply and withdrawal ofVv the said liquid heating medium may' be so adjusted that its level in the space 18% always coincides substantially with the level of the bulkliquid as it vreduces byconcentration-thereby ensuring that the lilm tending to be produced by suoli reduction is not submitted to heat so directly as inthe bulk liquid. i

Alternatively or additionallyl to either or both of these schemes part of the vessel sur face may beentirely free from any external heating provision-fas shown in 'Figure lV for instance,-the vessel may be provided with an unjacketedextension 41 and in order further to prevent conduction of heat from `the jacketed part to said vextension a heat insulating ring 42may be providedV between them.

It will be seen thatthe form of unheated surfaceshown in the drawings is particularly suited to avoid overheating of the lm left by the reduction of bulk consequent upon concentration, it does however, also provide a lcool surface for part of the film left by covering and uncovering and it will be apvparent that such unheated surface may be designed specifically for either purpose or for both in any convenient proportion.

`Our invention further includes provision` to pass a current-.of air or other gas heated or not throughithe vessel to assist in theevaporation processes. Said current may be produced by blowing air or other gas into the vessel lor again may be induced by drawing air orother gas thereinto or by a combina- As 'shown in Figure 3 a convenient arrangement comprises a fan 43 to force air through a heating chamber 44- and from thence through a flexible pipe 45 into the vessel l` from whence itV escapes throughlsuitable orifices. For instance, see Figure l, between the lid lof the vessel and the lip of the eX- tension thereof, a series of small spacing pads 46y are placed, thereby to form an incomplete annular orifice 47 through which the said air or other gas may escape. Inl the preferred scheme, shown more or less diagrammatically in Figure 3, a cowl 48 is arranged around this orifice 47 and the air, together with the vapours arising from the liquid, is drawn therefrom via a pair of flexible pipes 49 oppositely disposed over the diameter of the vessel and connected together by `aV-fitting 50 in communication with a means may bedispensed with, or again it may be used instead of the blower means. Y

Y A further renement, as shown in Figure l, consists in means evenly to distribute the flow of air or other gas into the vessel, said other gas a swirling flow or a flow substantiaL ly tangential to the circumference of the vessel said iiow preferably moving in the same direction as the vessel walls.- This flow may also be conveniently effected with the aid ofl short pipes 53a in some or 'all of the orifices 53 at the particular angle required to direct the air or other gas into the path desired.

And furtherprovision of our invention more or less associated with the next preceding provisions-that is of air or other'fgas currents, consists in that the treatment of the `liquid may be caused to be carried out while a pressure below' that `of atmosphere is maintained in the vessel. Vhere a gaseous me-` dium has been introduced. to aid. evaporation it may be desirable tolmake provision for the' reduction of the pressure within the vessel,

when treatment of the liquid has ceased, t0

effect the removal of any entrained gas.

Various other niechanicalfeatures and incidentalr provisions of our invention include the following. `For instance, one convenient scheme for driving the various parts comprises a motor 54 driving a shaft 55 which drives the pump 37, via chain and sprocketL 56, a further-shaft 57 which drives the table 5 via worm gearing 58,. Obviously, incidental provisions such as a` two or three speed gear, maybe made in addition.

Again while thebearing 59 for the table' 5 is shown plain it will be readily apparent f that suitable anti-friction bearings such as ball or roller may be used if desired.

A further provision ofY our invention 1s Vthat means are provided to facilitate the emptying of the vessel, the same as shown in the drawings conveniently consisting in that the vessel is adapted to be tilted as shown in Figure 4 about the axis 14 of the `yoke bearings ll and 11a-the shaft 6 being slidable between the brackets 7; the pin 8 being removable for that purpose.y Conveniently provision is made to facill tate such tilting, the same as shown in the drawings comprising a cranked lever 6() pivoted Aat 6l to the brackets 7, one end of the said lever engaging t-he shaft 6 and the other end lacing formed to take a leverage bar 62. l l i The engagement between the lever 60 and the shaft 6 conveniently comprises a pair of rollers 63 lying one eachV side the said shaftY and disposed 'between brackets 64 to which the lever 60 is attached.v l

' Still a further mechanical feature of our invention is that the vessel is closed with a lid which is conveniently built up of a disc 66-perforated at 67 lto providezan aper- 5 ture for the insertion of ingredients during operation of the apparatus and at 68 .for the pipe 45T-which said disc is reinforced by a more substantial structure 69 conveniently of spoked wheel-like formation. S'aidlid is secured in place by a wing nut 70'which clamps it down through the shank of VJthe chamber 52 onto a ange stop'71 on the extension 6a of the shaft 6.

It is of course not to be construed that we are limited to the speciic provisions of our invention hereinbefore set out or to the par-l ticular before described for carrying 4it into effect.

For instance, we mayfurther make provisionv to assist in the Vmaintenance of uniformity in the dispersion during concentra-A tion and further to maintain andimprove the dispersion vof fillers where present.l For instance the base`24; of the vesselmay serveas a race for one or more balls24a adapted to roll*preferably beneath the surface of the liquid-around said base by 'y gravitation as the oscillation proceeds and thereby submit e to a rolling action any coarse particles pres-y ent inthe dispersion tending to collect at said ase. I

Furthermore, the re-habilitation of the partially evaporated layer or film in the bulk of the dispersion may be assisted by providving arms. or projections, not'shown in the drawings, within the vessel which arms may be rotatable or otherwise movable with re` spect to said vessel. Said arms may carry a iiexible n as of sheet rubber adapted to conT tactand lightly wipe the walls of the vessel to ensure that the said wall continually takes up a fresh film.

or carrying this arm scheme into effect l, conveniently the apparatus shown in the 45 drawings would be modified, a convenient scheme consisting in preventing the shaft 6 rotating withrespect to the table 5, extend-v lng said shaft through an axial bearing in' the base of the vessel and attaching said ra- 1t being apparent that under theseV conditions the said shaft will rotate lwith respect to -the vessel.

Again it willbe apparent that we are not limited to the one specific means for producing the motion of the vessel we require. Referring to Figure 6, we illustrate diagrammatically as hereinbefore set ,out themotion we effectV in the apparatus illustrated in the preceding drawings while Figures 7, 8vand9 illustrate diagrammatically three alternate schemes in exemplilication. v

lFor instance, in Figure -7 thevvessel 1 is suspended from a ba-ll orL other universal 65 joint 72 by means of a rod 73 or the equivaapparatus or details thereof herein-j dial arms to said extension 6a of said shaft,

, particular arrangements lent ywhich extends `upwardly for' engage-Y mentwith a rotary memberv Z4-'rotated by shaft 74a-by which member 74 the oscilla-V tory motion is imparted to the vessel. Thus the upper end 73a'of the rod 73 may engage within aradi'al slot 74?) in the rotary member, the, slothaving a peripheral stop 74cso that while the vessel in the position of rest may fall by gravity into a position with its axis v 75 approximately vertical, on rotation ofthe rotatable membsr the orbit of oscillation of the vessel will graduallyV increase with the yspeed of rotation until limited by the engagement of the rodv or shaft -73 with 'the' e Vperipheral stop 740 referred to. vA detent may be incorporated in the spherical -joint 72 to precluderotation of thevessel onits own axis.

` Again in Figure 8, which is a diagram in` f plan, the vvessel 1 1`s mounted with its axis .76

vertical and is revolved bodily about` anl extraneous axis 77 by means kof ya pair of crank rods 78 commonly actuated and engaging theI vessely at the points 79. This In passing it may be noted that this scheme illustrated in Figure 8 is quite closely analo-v gous to the glass tumbler experiment.

rather alters its position in- And again in Figure 9 we illustrate'a schemeto exemplify that we may eiiecta combination of the other motions. Here,` asan example, the scheme according to Figure 6;

is combined with that according to Figur`e8f the transverse bearin member 16 bein@ at-y fa tached to the shaft 6 and similar to that illustrated interposed between said member 16 and the base of the vessel, one end`80a; of said'cranks 80 cofactingwiththe base of the vessel and their other ends 806, having a bearing at 81v in the transverse member 16, and being driven by chain and sprocket of said member. will have a bodily 82 at the reverse side In ythis instance the vessel revolution similar to that of the vessel in Figure 8 at the same timebodily aboutthe point 2 y as it is oscillating as 1n F igure 6.

ibis

It will beapparentfthat. these last three;

schemes are given simply by wayof example and that we do not confine ourselves tothe illustrated Y dia-V grammatically for carrying Having completed our descriptioniin con-` y nection with the apparatusand sundry associated ,provisions of Vtour invention we will them into effect. I

nowgive a short description ofthe method of using vitpto produce the particular,productsV I which are our particular desideratum. It is not of course to be understood that we are limited to the precise particulars given here- 35 'l effected soy that there results a concentrate having the desirable characteristics herem 40 :"4 hibits subsequent separation or agglomeralatex, is added, andthe apparatus is set in motionits rocking or oscillation, it should be noted, being effected suciently gently to preclude foaming of the liquid or incorporation thereintoof bubbles of air. The appas ratus'being in motion the air or gas is introduced inthe vessel and hot kwater is admitted to its jacket. In passing it shouldbe noted that the temperature of the liquid to be concentrated lis preferably not allowed Vto rise above 7 0 C'. Treatment, concurrent concentration andcompounding, is continued until the desired degree of concentration, of which the viscosity provides a convenient index, is almost attained-then Vulcanizing agents 'f are added in dispersion form and treatment is continued until the mixture has the desired degree'v of concentration-quite a short time it should be noted. yDuring these processesthe motion of the vessel providing the vrequired gentle continuous dispersive agitationV and the continual exposure of fresh surfaces to evaporation-the particles of the compounding ingredients are evenly distributed and uniformity Vof the mixture before set out, that is, a concentrate, which from its creamy consistency and from the processes going to the formation thereof 1ntioniof its components, as on storage.

VContinuingour description-the air or gas current isthen ceased and cold water in place of hot is circulated through the jacket of the vessel until the temperature of the mixture is reduced to "less-than 25 G.-the motions of the apparatus, it should beV noted, still continuing, thereby to obviate skin formation. :During Vthe cooling stage ammonia nmay be added, iffdesired for the adjustment of the relationship ofthe viscosity' and the concentration,and finally the mixture is discharged and, preferably, strained.

"By the processes of our invention we may -produce a wide. variety of mixtures-#utilizing'a wide range of compounding ingredients and a variety of stabilizers,.but one fairly re resentative example is as follows:-

'$1.6 partsV of rubber as ammonia preserved -latex, 2.5 parts of sulphur, .5 parts'` of accelerator, 2 parts of zinc oxide, 3 partsof iron oxide, 7 parts of mineral oil, 6 parts of whiting, 6.7 parts ofchina clay, .2vparts of oleic acid, .l part of casein and .4 parts caustic potash, the latter being the parts said while a convenient degree of concentration'gives approximately 7 5 percent totalv solids.

` Variousmodifications vmay be made by those skilled in the art kwithout departing from the invention as dened in the following claims. ,y f i l What we claim is: Y Y

l. In the concentration of liquid rubber latex, the method which comprises holding a body of said liquid in a vessel and imparting such a motion tothe vessel that theJ angular relationship between the substantially plane top surface of the liquid and the portions of the wall of thevessel intersecting said surface is successively varied in a continuous recurrent sequence whereby a thin film of the liquid is successively spread over said wall and returned to the body of liquid, wherein the liquid and vfilm thereof is sub1 jected to the action of a heating medium in such manner that said :medium acts more directly upon the bulk than upon the lm.

2. Anapparatus forl treating-liquid rubber latex and the like comprisinga vessel, means for supporting the latter with freedom for universal tilting movement, and means for successively tilting saidvessel in different verticalplanes and a member adapted to roll upon the lower innersurfaceof the vessel to assist in the maintenance of uniformity of the liquid beingtreated and to improve the dispersion of compounding ingredients therein. p f Y Y 3. A- n apparatus for treating liquid rubber latex and the like comprising a vessel, means for supporting the latter with freedom for universal tilting movement about a point within the vessel,l and means for successively tilting saidvessel in differentvertical planes in combination with supplemental Ymeans for manually tilting the vessel to faciltate'empwine e 4. An apparatus fortreating liquid rubber latex and the like comprising a vessel, means for supporting the latter with freedom for universal tilting'k movement about a point within the vessel, and means for successively tilting said vessel in different vertical planes in combination with means for supplying a` current of gas or air to thevessel. v v

5. An apparatus for treating liquidr rubber latex and the like comprising a vessel, means forv supporting ythe latter with freedom for universal tilting movement about a point within the vessel,.and means for successively tilting said vessel in different vertical planes in combinationwith meansfor maintaining a current of air through said 1 vessel, Vand flexible connections Lbetween the the last'namedY means. Y

6. An apparatus'vfor treating liquid rubber Alatex and-the like comprising ayvessel, means for supporting the flatter with'V freedom for universal tilting movement about a point vessel and Within the vessel, and means for successively tilting said vessel in different vertical planes in combination with means for maintaining a current of air through said vessel, the latter having means whereby a swirling or tangential flow is imparted to said air current.

7. An apparatus for treating liquid rubber latex and the like comprising a vessel, a supporting structure therefor including a gimbal ring having a trunnion pivotally supported on a horizontal axis, a yoke secured to said vessel and having a pivotal connection With said gimbal ring at a point substantially ninety degrees from said trunnion, and power driven means operatively connected With said vessel arranged to tilt it in to- Ward dierent points of the compass in combination With a jacket surrounding part of said vessel, and in Which said yoke has a duct formed therein which connects with the jacket, and said gimbal ring having ducts therein connecting with said yoke ducts, and means for circulating a heating or cooling medium through said ducts and the said jacket.

8. An apparatus for treating liquid rubher latex and the like comprising a vessel, means for supporting the latter With freedom for universal tilting movement about a point Within the vessel, and means for successively tilting sa: d vessel in dierent vertical planes including a. acket surrounding a portion of said vessel and means for circulating a heating or cooling medium therethrough, said vessel having an upper unjacketed portion and a gasket of heat insulating material between the j acketed and unjacketed portions.

9. A method of treating liquid rubber latex which comprises continuously moving a body of said liquid latex in a continuous cycle of changing positions, causing the surface of said body of latex tochange its position relative to the surface of a containing vessel to successively form a film of liquid on the Wall of said vessel and immersing it in said body of latex, and applying heat to said vessel only at the area covered by said body of latex and moving the area of application of said heat to coincide With the movement of said liquid.

10. Apparatus for heat treating a liquid of the type described which comprises a container, means for heating surface areas of said container, and means for revolving said container With its axis of symmetry moving in a surface of rotation about another axis.

11. Apparatus for heat treating a liquid of the type described which comprises a container, means for heating surface areas of said container, means for revolving said container With its axis of symmetry moving in a surface of rotation about another axis, and means for causing said container to rotate about its axis of symmetry.

12.l A method of evaporating an aqueous dispersion comprising rubber material, which comprises causing a mass of said dispersion to pass over a heated surface by passing the axis of symmetry of said surface in cyclic revolving motion in a surface of rotation as over the surface of a cone or cylinder about a substantially vertical axis.

13. A method of evaporating an aqueous dispersion comprising rubber material, which comprises causing a mass of said dispersion to pass over a heated surface by ypass-Y ing the axis of symmetry of said surface in cyclic revolving motion in a surface of rotation as over the surface of a cone or cylinder about a substantially vertical axis, and passing a current of air over the surface of said ifnass of dispersion and over said heated surace.

14. A method of evaporating an aqueous dispersion comprising rubber material, Which comprises causing a mass of said dispersion to pass ove-r a heated surface by passing the axis of symmetry o-f said surface in cyclic revolving motion in a. surface of rotation as over the surface of a. cone or cylinder about a substantially vertical axis, and limiting said application of heat to that area of the surface in contact With the mass of dispersion.

15. A method of evaporating an aqueous dispersion comprising rubber material, which comprises causing a mass of said dispersion` to pass over a heated surface by passing the axis of symmetry of said surface in cyclic revolving motion in a surface of rotation as over the surface of a cone or cylinder about a substantially vertical axis, and subjecting said surface and said mass of dispersion to reduced pressure. Y

In Witness whereof, We have hereunto signed our names.

DOUGLAS FRANK TWISS. EDWARD ARTHUR MURPHY. 

